Tesco Bags of Help returns as Tesco Community Grants programme
Howard Lake | 14 April 2021 | News
The Tesco Bags of Help Programme, which has been running since 2016, has been relaunched as the Tesco Community Grants programme and applications are now open.
Tesco offers this grants programme “to make a positive difference in the communities where it operates”.
The scheme is open to registered charities and not-for-profit organisations. You can apply directly as an organisation. Equally, you might find that you have been nominated: Tesco customers and staff members can nominate a cause that they would like to see supported and Tesco will contact them to encourage them to apply.
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Tesco matches local causes to particular stories.
Groups have an opportunity to receive a grant of £1,500, £1,000 or £500, depending on the number of votes their project receives.
Three projects in 575 local communities are voted on by customers in Tesco stores throughout the UK, with projects changing every three months.
Blue tokens
Currently the blue plastic tokens, as show in the main image, by which customers vote for their favourite charity, are not being used due to Covid-19 safety restrictions. Instead customers can simply vote online for their charity.
The tokens are expected to be back and operating as the voting mechanism from 21 June 2021.
Supporting children and families
This year, Tesco has stated that its funding is dedicated to local good causes that focus on supporting children and families.
The kinds of projects and activities that are likely to be supported include:
- Breakfast clubs.
- Holiday clubs.
- Food banks.
- Equipment or non-statutory services for nurseries or schools eg forest schools, library books
- Equipment for Brownie, Guide or Scout Groups eg camping equipment, badges
- Environmental improvements
- Play areas
- Counselling and support services
- Activities to support mental health
- Activities or equipment to reduce social isolation
- Equipment/kit for sports teams
- Services or equipment to support health issues such as cancer or dementia
- Equipment for village/community halls
The funding is for projects that are ready to be delivered. It can not be used retrospectively to cover costs already incurred, such as design fees, planning permissions costs or community consultation.
Applications are not eligible from:
- Individuals
- Community Interest Companies with shares (CIC’s)
- Community Interest Companies with guarantee that are less than two years old
- Profit-making organisations
The grants are decided by popular vote.
There are no deadlines for Tesco’s Community Grants. This is a rolling programme and applications can be made at any time during the year.
Community charity Groundwork administers the funding across the UK. It is a federation of charities mobilising practical community action on poverty and the environment across the UK.
Groundwork is working with greenspace scotland to support successful projects in Scotland.
More on Tesco’s Bags of Help
- Tesco Bags of Help scheme helps 10,000 community projects (2 February 2018)
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.